Tofugu.com – Wonky Japanese Language and Culture

My Japan-related YouTube buddy Gimmeabreakman posted this video up about a week ago – it does an amazing job summing up naked men, festivals, and Japan, all in one (very nice HD) video, which you can view above. Read more…

This Contest has been extended to April 9, 2008!

Nara-City, the capitol city of Nara prefecture, is known for it’s beautiful temples and overly aggressive biting deer monsters. This year, Nara Heijo-Kyo Capitol is celebrating its 1300th year anniversary, and will be holding a big a event. Usually when this kind of thing happens, whoever is running the event comes up with an over the top mascot that cutes you into coming. This year, the Association for Commemorative Events seems to be taking the opposite approach.

Perhaps the event is expecting too many people, and Nara is too small to support them, so they are trying to scare visitors away? What’s he doing with his hand? Trying to touch you in inappropriate places? He kind of looks like Buddha…except for the fact that he has antlers coming out of his head. I would never spend any time alone with this guy. In fact, I wonder how he eats, because no restaurant I know of would let someone with no shoes and no shirt in, even if summers do get warm. Also, I know what the thing on his forehead is supposed to be, but honestly, it just looks like a third nipple (actually, his only nipple from the looks of things) smack dab between his eyes. Nara Association of Commemorative Events, what were you thinking? Read more…

Unsurprisingly, we’ve recently gotten quite a few emails asking about Christmas (クリスマス or kurisumasu) in Japan. Though this might be a bit late, I thought I’d endeavor to answer those questions today, unwrapping my presents with one hand and typing this up with the other.

A Brief History of Kurisumasu

Christmas in Japan is an interesting creature. The holiday was introduced back in the day (during the 16th century, if you want to be exact about it) when Christian missionaries first came to Japan. In the modern day, though, being a largely non-Christian country, observance of the day is pretty secular—no midnight mass or nativity scenes or anything like that. In fact, many Japanese kids (and possibly adults?) seem to be under the impression that the day is a celebration of Santa’s Birthday. Not a wholly unreasonable thought, I suppose. Anyway, initially adopted by the Japanese government to gain acceptance from powerful and snobby Western nations, Christmas gained more and more popularity as the country modernized, reaching its most commercial form around 1960.

Pseudo-Holiday

It’s important to note, though, that Christmas isn’t actually a national holiday in Japan and as often seen as an offshoot of the New Year’s festivities (which are official). Still, to the relief of department stores, bakeries, and Christmas tree sellers nationwide, most people have adopted the non-religious aspects of the holiday, buying and exchanging gifts, eating “special” foods and decorating their houses (though not quite so much as their American counterparts). Read more…